Chapters 67-70 Summary

During this span of four chapters, Ishmael details the methods of cutting the blubber from the whale, beheading it and the preparing the corpse for its ocean burial. First, Ishmael explains the process of stripping the blubber, the fat from which the spermaceti oil is taken, from the whale. These long pieces of blubber that are removed from the whale are called blanket pieces because they envelope the whale like a blanket to keep him comfortable in all climates. Next, Ishmael describes what he considers the skin of the whale. This skin, he says, is a thin membrane covering the blubber. It is marked almost hieroglyphically. Ishmael believes these marks are caused by hostile contacts with other whales. After the blubber is removed from the whale, the headless carcass is dropped in the water for the sharks and other vultures to...